ABSTRACT Since the inception of this PPG 17 years ago, the goal of Core A has remained constant: to maximize the scientific progress and productivity of each project by providing responsive and effective centralized support services. The services provided fall under the following categories: Administrative, Statistical, and Research Personnel for Clinical Studies. The objectives of Core A are to provide all PPG projects and Core B with: 1) the leadership, oversight, and administrative support essential to maximize program performance; 2) the statistical support required to plan, conduct, and analyze data for all PPG studies; and 3) the personnel support necessary to successfully conduct and complete all PPG clinical studies. Core A achieves these objectives by coordinating the use of resources, services, and personnel. We foresee and have prepared for new scientific/medical challenges and opportunities in our renewal as we: 1) expand our focus to include a new but related research interest - neonatal thrombocytopenia - to provide critically needed information about this common problem responsible for significant morbidity and health care costs; 2) add two new performance sites - Children's Hospital Boston, and the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital - to draw on the expertise of physician-scientists performing research at these sites that is directly related to our PPG; and 3) add four new investigators and seven new consultants, with most located at the new sites and others at Emory University, the University of Cincinnati and the State University of New York at Buffalo. The logistical challenges presented by the increase in complexity associated with our renewal are offset by enhanced opportunities for outstanding team-driven scientific progress and productivity. In the section /. Overview of Core A, we list the new and continuing program investigators and consultants; in section //. Detailed description of Core A components, we describe in detail the multifaceted structural approach that we have developed over the past 18 months to coordinate the activities and facilitate information exchange among investigators and staff dispersed across multiple performance sites.